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Friday, February 26, 2010

5 Question Friday is here again! Yippee! Mama M over at 5 Crooked Halos is hosting. Check her out here. She's great! (Especially check out her carrot gravy recipe. I made it Wednesday night...delicious!)

On with the show!

1. Do you sing karaoke? If so, what is your go to song?I do not sing karaoke. I do not like to sing much. My mom and my sister are outstanding singers, professional level and I am not. I often say they do the singing, I do the dancing. I will sing in a chorus for a play, maybe even do a "character" solo, something funny and not musically challenging but I would need many months of voice lessons to get my "real" voice back.

I guess I lied. Does singing in the car count as karaoke? If so, then HECK YES I DO! Rory likes when there is noise in the car, so I sing all sorts of things, mainly all songs by Glee or Michael Jackson. It ain't pretty, but it makes her giggle.

2. What is your favorite coffee drink?That's really tough for me, because I *love* coffee and coffee drinks and all things coffee flavored. I'd have to say a vanilla frap from Sbux, a caramel latte from McD's or a white chocolate raspberry mocha from Sheetz. Sheetz is the best coffee in my opinion. Regular House Blend with 3 Splendas, 2 Shots of skim milk and 1 french vanilla creamer? HEAVEN!!

3. If you could choose your own name, what would it be?I would keep Kate, I like it's simplicity and ease. But I would give myself a formal name. I never wanted one, but now that I am a business owner, it'd be a lot easier if I had Katherine or Kathleen to use in professional settings. But I love my name 99% of the time! My parents are good baby namers.

4. Were you ever bullied?No comment.

5. How often do you eat fast food?Not very often. The closest thing to FF in the forest is Subway, and that doesn't count because it's not nearly as bad for you as real FF. Less than once a week is a safe bet. Maybe 2 times a month. I love my McDonald's though. MMMMMM! Delish!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

It's Wishful Wednesday again! Yay! Kelsey over at The Seattle Smith's is back from what looked like a glorious vacation and is hosting WW this week. This week's topic is a gooooood one.

'I wish' .... I could play a character's role in a book and it would be Cynthia from The Mitford Series by Jan Karon.

Can I just stop for a minute and gush about these books? The Mitford Series are the most comforting books. They are equivalent to a good cup of tea, a bowl of hot soup, a pile of mashed potatoes topped with gravy. They are hot chocolate on a cold winter day, an old friend stopping by, a cold finally going away. I love them. Karon writes with such conviction and honesty about some seriously touchy subjects, yet these books makes you feel warm inside. The way she weaves religion and Christian ideals through the story seamlessly make it clear Karon is a Woman of God.

Cynthia is the wife of the main character and I think she is wonderful. She is an author and a painter and a wife. She's been through quite a bit in her life and I appreciate the way she applies her experiences to her present day life and those around her. Cynthia is an ordinary woman but her handle on life is different. It's beautiful.

I highly recommend these books. They are usually in the library and you will read through the entire series without stopping, I swear. They aren't action novels or mysteries, but you will be captivated!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

I'd like to issue an open apology to all my students this week. I am so crabby with you and I apologize!! It's not your fault, at all. (Well, it would be nice if you would come to class dressed properly and prepared...hint hint!) I am crabby because I am exhausted. Dave's been working super early, Rory is teasing and therefore I am up several times a night again. I am working hard on the recital and competition and it's just harder to do with a little Rory crawling around. :)

Again, I'm sorry. Just like when Rory was born, I will adjust and it will be fine.

Taylor over at Jimmy Choos and a Baby Too is hosting Top 2 Tuesdays again this week and this week's theme...TV shows!

Easy.

Join in!

1) Gilmore Girls. Hands down, my all time fave. I love the relationship between Lorelai and Rory (hence my daughter's name...) and I love the witty banter. It gets a little far fetched in the last 2 season. (Luke has a daughter?? Yeah...no.) But I just love it. I have all the season of DVD and watch it daily on my DVR. It's been the one show I've enjoyed faithfully through the last 8 years of my life. It was so comforting on some of my worst days. In fact, in college when I was going through the worst time of my life, it was Gilmore Girls marathons that kept my spirits up most days. (and prayer!) When I was beginning my labor with Rory last spring, I walked circles around my house watching Gilmore Girls. It's my happy show, to say the least.(Courtesy of Google Images)

2. GLEE! The most fun show on TV. It'll be returning in April...and not soon enough. (I hate American Idol. I think it is the worst show on TV and so incredibly fake and rigged. I am also starting to develop a strong dislike for SYTYCD for exactly that reason. Ugh. Another post for another day!) Glee is just...hilarious! It tackles issues but nothing that is depressing or makes you down. And the music?! WOWWWWWW!! I heard a rumor of a Glee national tour this summer and you better believe Dave and I will be in the front G(l)eeking out!! :)

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Sorry I've been so MIA lately. The last 2 weeks kicked my behind a good one, but I'm back on track now. (Hopefully!) No better way to get in the blogging swing of things then with Sunday Stealing. Join in here and link up!

34. What do you like about the summer?More like what DON'T I like about summer. I like the relaxed pace to my day, the weather (especially in Pennsylvania, it rarely gets unbareably hot.) The outdoor activities, the swimming and boating!, the cookouts and parties, the fires, the s'mores...ahhh can't wait!

35. What do you like about spring?THE MELTING SNOWWWWWWWWWWWW. But not my allergies.

36. How many states provinces have you lived in?Just one. But I've been to all the United States except North Dakota, Hawaii and Alaska

37. What cities/towns have you lived in?Just this one and Meadville, PA where I went to college.

38. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet?Bare feet, for sure.

39. Are you a social person?Yes I am. For sure. I like interacting with people.

40. What was the last thing you ate?A cookie during Sunday School but we're on our way to a pancake breakfast here in a hot second.

41. What is your favorite restaurant?Chain: Olive GardenNon-chain: Citrico's at the Grand Floridian in WDW

45. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich?Grape, of course.

46. Do you like Chinese food?YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

47. Do you like coffee?Oh I sure do! I'd like a cup right now actually.

48. How many glasses of water, a day, do you drink on average?4-5, at least. I try to go through three refills in my water bottle each night at dance and it's 2.5 glasses worth in each refill.

49. What do you drink in the morning?Coffee and milk

50. What non-banking related card in your wallet is the most valuable to you?My driver's license, of course.

51. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed?Yes. If you are standing at the bottom of the bed, I sleep on the right. We slept the other way for the first year or so of our marriage and every morning, the covers were all wrong and the feather bed would be pulled off. Since we switched, it's like 50 times better. haha

52. Do you know how to play poker?Sure do.

53. Do you like to cuddle?Sometimes. But not when I'm hot. Ugh. Gross.

54. Have you ever been to Canada?Plenty of times. It's only a couple hours away.

55. Do you have an addictive personality?To food, yes I do.

56. Do you eat out or at home more often?Home

57. What do you miss about highschool, if anything?Hmmm...I miss dance class at April's.

58. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you?Marilyn Manson, Gov. Rendell and my friend from high school.

59. Do you want kids?I have 1 and I want another eventually.

60. Do you speak any other languages?Spanish and a smattering of French and even less of Russian.

61. Have you ever gotten stitches?Ohhh yes. I had about 30 in my hand.

62. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?Nope

63. Do you prefer an ocean or a pool?Either or. I just like warmth and water.

64. Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seat?Window

65. Do you know how to drive stick?Roughly yes. I've driven motorcycles and four wheelers and the like my whole life... so...

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

A dear friend of my parents (and myself, by default) passed away today, suddenly. This makes the fourth person to pass away since Thanksgiving that was important to myself or my advanced students. That's too many, far too many. I'm tired of going to the funeral home, tired of crying with my students and tired of feeling their pain like it's my own. But. At the same time, I wouldn't trade my compassion for my students for all the money in the world. Part of what makes the studio special is we are family. We laugh together but we also cry together.

I had a rough night at work and I'm really frustrated with a few situations. FYI: Boys who dance are AWESOME and don't deserve to be made fun of all the time. Among other things.

So much nonsense has been going on lately that I just can't wrap my head around it anymore. My heart is heavy and my mind is racing. I need a vacation. Already.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

It's the last day of Mama M's Valentines Extravaganza Week. I participated as faithfully as this crazy week would let me. I've really enjoyed it! Check our her blog here.

10 Things I Love About Dave...(not in any particular order, except number one!)

10) His stupid sense of humor. He thinks the dumbest things are funny and thinks he is the funniest person on earth. It's adorable and it entertains me to no end.

9) His eyes! I *love* green eyes and I hope Ro gets that trait from him. (It's looking promising...)

8) The way he talks in his sleep. bahaha It is amazing. Someday I'll do a post of great things he's said in his sleep.

7) His improving attitude towards our family of 3. It was such a huge adjustment for him and he's worked so hard to become a fantastic father. He'll never stop working at it and that's the most important quality in a good father, I think.

6) His ability to eat all the cookies and candy and ice cream before I get home at night to eat it myself! hahaha

5) His constant strive to make life good for me and Rory.

4) His faith.

3) The way he looks at me after the recital. He is so proud of me.

2) His crappy taste in music. (Sorry, bud, your music is lame-o, but luckily is mostly what I like too!! ha! :))

1) His unconditional love and trust in me. Can't get better than that.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Apologies for the lack of posting lately. So much heartache and sadness floating around this house lately. It makes me so thankful for my family and our blessings, but at the same time...breaks my heart for so many of the people I really care about hurting.

Anyways! Good stuff now.

1. What is the one thing your love does for you that you can't live without?There's so much. I think the biggest thing though is Dave is constantly concerned that I'm overworked. I know I get annoyed with him when he tells me to take a break, not work the weekend, etc, but when I think about it, I know he is doing it for 2 reasons. First, he really is concerned about me and does truly think I work too much. Second, I think he really misses me when I am at work. I work 3-9:30 each night so we miss each other 4 days a week.

2. When did you know your love was "the one"?I knew on our first date. I just knew. I always laughed when people would use that terminology. How could someone ever just KNOW? Does God put a giant flashing red arrow above "the one's" head? I was above and beyond the mushy stuff...and then there was Dave and everything changed. He walked in to my living room and it was like...comfort. I just knew that, sure it wouldn't always be easy and romance and hearts, but it would be love. That's all that matters.

3. Does your love have a special ringtone on your cell?Nope. No one does because I am too cheap to buy ringtones. :)

4. What are you attracted to most in your special someone?Well, looks wise, Dave has fantastic green eyes. It looks like Rory is inheriting his great eyes, by the way! :)But in more general terminology, I liked the way Dave treated (treats) me. He was one in a million.

5. Did you know when/where he/she was going to pop the big question?I did. I did. I did. I told Dave I didn't know because I was afraid to hurt his feelings, but now we laugh about it. :)

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Awww I loved my wedding. I loved every second (almost cough) of it. I won't go in to the 3 or 4 things that upset me leading up to that day, it's not worth it, but suffice it to say, I loved my wedding. I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Dave and I will renew our vows someday...at the wedding pavillion at the Grand Floridian at WDW, by the way. :)

So my wedding...March 24, 2007. I had originally imagined getting married in the fall of 2007, but Dave didn't want to wait. We were engaged in July and he couldn't imagine waiting a year and a handful of months. :) We chose March because it worked best for both of our schedules and there wasn't a big chance of a huge snowstorm in the forest at the end of March. A chance, but not a huge chance. (haha!)

We were married in what has become our home church, the Methodist church, by Pastor David. Pastor David is an amazing man. He is the best kind of pastor, in my opinion. He is nuturing, kind, caring and Christlike, but he doesn't fall in to trying to please the people of the church. He's a great man and I really love his family too! (Except Andrew...He calls me old! HAHA! :)) Pastor David made the whole process easy for us and relaxed. Our wedding hostess through the church was a dance parent/adult tap student who Dave and I both love dearly. All in all, our church made it a great day for us!

Our colors were dark purple and dark gold, with all things ivory. Right after we were engaged, we were sitting in my aunt's (now our) living room. Dave loves the border in this room like none other. (It is very nice.) It's purple and gold grapes so bam there you go! They worked really well for a late winter wedding and were super easy to cooridnate. We used grapes and grapevine everywhere and ivy too. The flowers were done by Dave's grandparents' greenhouse and were all shades of purple, orange, bright pink, etc wildflowers. They were beautiful!!

This was our wedding party! My sister was my maid of honor, in gold. Love these people, for sure. :)

Oh I loved my wedding! Some of my dancers performed at my ceremony and it was fantastic. I was so happy that day and so was Dave. Good things, all around. :)

Head over to Mama M and link up! I love weddings so I'll be sure to stop by and check out your blog!! :)

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

I am totally ripping this idea of Kelly over at Keeping Up with Kelly and Co. But please remember, I've been blogfree for a week so I need to catch up in the worst way.

Kelly is talking about her top 5 celebrity crushes. Now, mind you, she's happily married to her dear husband, as am I to mine. Dave and I often discuss good looking celebrities. In no way is this bad or inappropriate. These are people we will never ever meet and we don't talk about it seriously, but completely in jest. So. There you go.

My number one cutest cutie cute cute...

Matthew McConaughey.

Need more proof? Sigh. Okay.

Yep. Winner. Loves it. Want to watch proof? How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Fool's Gold and Failure to Launch are great...so is The Wedding Planner.

#2John KrasinskiMy sister totally doens't understand my love for Jim, I mean John Krasniski. He is adorable and I think he is fantastic in THE OFFICE. Dave and I loe it and are midly obsessed with it...just mildly. ;)

#3Willie ParkerI'm a proud member of Steeler Nation and that man up there? Yeppppp. No words.

#4Christian BaleHello Christian Bale fans? He was hot a long time before The Dark Night. YEP. Little Women is amazing! Funny story, one time I played Jo in a play version of LW and whenever I spoke to Laurie out the window (he was never there, it was always suggested he was there) I imagined him! haha

#5Robert Sean LeonardOkay please don't think I have some huge thing for older guys, but I've loved RSL since he was in Dead Poet's Society. I mean hello awesome. :)

First off, I *love* Mama M! She is so down to earth and wonderful in her posts. I won a giveaway she had a few weeks ago as well, fyi. :) I am joining in her Valentine's Extravaganza a few days late. (I was on vacation!) Here's the run down...

Sunday (tomorrow): The story of how you met the love of your life...or, if you haven't yet met the love of your life tell me how you met your best friend!Monday: Your favorite date story (good or bad!!), or the best night out you've had with your bestie!Tuesday: Engagement stories!! (If you'd like...throw in a photo of your bling!)Wednesday: What is your favorite memory of your wedding day (or, tell me your favorite memory with your aforementioned best friend!)?Thursday: (per suggestion of Mr. Wonderful) Tell the story of your love's biggest romantic screw up.Friday: 5QF...love style! I've put up a thread specific to this 5QF...check it out here and offer up your questions!!Saturday: Photo Day...show me a favorite photo with your love or your best friend!Sunday: Ten things you love about your love!

Since it's already TUesday, I have some serious catching up to do. Let's go...

Sunday: How you met the love of your life.Preface: I love my Dave more than life. I am so grateful for him but man that man is shy! This is very important to know before I begin. (Laura will back me up here...she's his sister!)

It was the summer of 2005 and I was housesitting for my Aunt and Uncle while they were in Finland. This was also the height of the Myspace craze, mind you. One day I had a request from some kid on myspace and I messaged him to find out if he was a creep. Turns out he was the cousin of my best friend's boyfriend. (Follow?) We started talking daily and eventually he was coming home from his internship for the weekend. He said he would call and we'd get together.

Friday...no call. Saturday...no call. Sunday...no call.

Ummmm excuse me?

So I messaged him the next week and basically said I don't THINK so. He said he was busy with family stuff all weekend. Okay, fine, I can understand that. Not a lot of time on the weekends, that's cool. We continued talking every night until 1 or 2 am. (Note, Dave is a golf course superintendent and would be getting up for work at 4:30. That's love, baby.) Eventually, he had a week off at the end of the summer. He was going to call, he swore. Well he didn't call, but he did IM. He was going to the local carnival each night of that week with his best friend and would I be down there at all?

EXCUSE ME?!

I was frustrated and ticked. I stopped talking to him through out the entire fall. THen one day in December, out of nowhere, he im'ed me. We started talking and eventually he asked if we could meet up. I said yes, but only if he was serious this time. I made him come to my house for the first date, I figured that way if he stood me up, I wouldn't be waiting somewhere like a loser! haha

He showed up, right on time. And I never looked back.

Monday: Favorite Date StoryHmmm...this is a tough one. Dave and I love to go on adventurous dates and try new things. Just this past week we became 12 years old again and went to Disney World for 5 days. We ate new things at every restaurant and went on rides we knew would make us nauseous. Our favorite date though? I really don't know. I can't pick one. I like any time I get that's just Dave and I. And now I like any time that's our family of three.

Wait. I can pick one.

Last Friday, Dave and I went to eat at the California Grill on top of the Contemporary Resort in Disney World. It was way fancier than anywhere we'd ever been before and we loved it. We laughed at ourselves for not knowing how to pronounce things, we ate the BEST pork of all time. (amaaaaazing!) We watched the fireworks from the roof, overlooking the Magic Kingdom. We got on the wrong monorail coming home and ended up going in circles. Dave told the bus driver the wrong hotel and we laughed until our stomachs hurt. We were so happy and carefree. That's a moment I wish I could capture in a bottle. Riverside? YEP!

Tuesday: Proposal Story.Confession...I knew Dave was going to propose the day he did it. I KNEW. I can't help it. He had offered to cook me dinner on a Wednesday because I was working days and he wanted to do something nice. This seemed very nice and not all that out of ordinary, he likes to do nice things for me. But then that Monday morning, he called and said he wanted to cook THAT night at my Aunt and Uncle's house where again I was housesitting. (Interseting to note...Dave and I eventually bought that house!) I told my assistant, Tara, that he was going to propose that night. I told her it was going to be that night.

I got back to the house, showered and changed in to jeans and a t-shirt. (See, I didn't want Dave to think I was on to him. :)) He came down and cooked spaghetti with salad and garlic bread. He brought key lime pie for dessert. (Gag me! haha) Then before I started to clean up he told me he had one more thing for me, got down on one knee and proposed. I cried, I laughed and of course I said yes!!! We drove all around town, to my parents', my sister's, the dance studio and my aunt's to show off the ring and celebrate! One of the best nights of my life.

So what are you waiting for?! Join in! Romance is in the air, friends.Full Disney Trip Report coming soon. :)

If you could "do-over" any one scene in your life... what would it be, and why?

If you asked me this a year or so ago, I'd have easily and readily replied something about my high school time and some choices I made at that time. (That's all you get, so deal with it.) But now, I have comed to terms with that time of my life so much better now, so I wouldn't say that. (No, it wasn't a baby or an underage or anything like that! Geez! haha Give me some credit. Remember, I'm blogging positively for now.)

If I could redo something, I know what it would be. There is only one thing in my life I regret, and it's not even really a "regret" I just wish I could have done 2 things at once! :)

I left Allegheny when I was a rising junior. By doing this, I missed out on serving as Vice President of our Dance Company and holding several positions in my sorority, plus living in the Arts House and working for one of my favorite professors in the theatre department. I missed out on directing a musical for the student theatre organization, going on 3 week abroad trips but mostly, I missed out on being a kid for a little longer.

Like I said, it's not a REGRET by any stretch of the imagination. I l-o-v-e my studio and my life now. I understand and appreciate God's timing. I realize that if I hadn't jumped when the water was ready, I would have missed entirely. I am so grateful and thankful for that opportunity, but somedays, when I am looking at the new Kappas pictures of Facebook or stumble across an old Orchesis video, I miss Allegheny. I wonder what life would have been like and where I'd have ended up if I had finished. The worst part though is the insecurity I feel sometimes about not having a degree. Why? No real reason. There's no degree needed to be a good dance teacher. My accredidation comes from the accomplishments of my students, of course. But when I think that my mom has a Masters and my sister will in a year an a half...I feel inadequate. I love to learn and full intend to go back to school, as soon as I am done having babies (one more EVENTUALLY, not now) and they are in preschool.

So if I could re-do something, I'd move Allegheny to Kane so I could be a student and a dance teacher and a mom and a wife all at the same time!! How's THAT for an answer?? :)

Link up! This is a good one!

Sidebar: Say a prayer for me. We leave for vacation tomorrow and I have a sore throat. Rory has a cough and a runny nose and Millie (the dog) smells weird. Never fails, does it?